Use Google Workspace Drive (Google Drive) instead of attachments
Whenever possible, store a document in Google Drive and then share it instead of sending it as an attachment. You can allow other users of Google Drive to view, comment on, or even edit the document if you wish. For details, see:
If you must use attachments:
- Don’t share sensitive information.
- To prevent electronic theft, including identity theft, be especially careful not to share ANY personally identifiable information (e.g., passwords, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, medical records).
- For more on handling sensitive data, see:
- Ask before you send.
- Make sure that the recipient is interested in receiving an email attachment.
- Due to the prevalence of viruses and other electronic threats makes this, some recipients won’t open any attachment unless they know it’s safe.
- Make sure the recipient can open the attachment.
- It’s usually easy to attach a binary file (e.g., image, word processing document) to an email message.
- However, such a file may not transfer successfully, and the recipient must have software that will open it.
- Executable files are prohibited.
- For security reasons, you cannot attach or receive executable files (those with extensions such as .exe, .com, .bat, .pif) via your campus email messages.
- Hackers and phishers often use such files to gain control of your computer or steal personal information.
- Keep attachments small.
- Emailing files is convenient, but it’s also the most bandwidth-wasting and least reliable way to send them.
- The size limit for an email message at NC State is 25 megabytes (MB).
- This includes the email’s text, any attachments, and the necessary encoding, which increases the message size by approximately one-third. For example, a 3 MB message would increase to 4 MB.
- If your attachment is more than a few MB, e.g., a video or a large group of photos, put the file on your website or send it by secure file transfer.